A standard rotary mower used for harvesting a field crop such as hay or alfalfa has a plurality of upright drums each centered on and rotated about an upright axis, and each carrying at its lower end a plurality of radially outwardly directed blades. The drums are rotated to orbit the blades and cut the crop adjacent the ground.
In order to prevent the cut crop from jamming up in front of such a mower and to ensure that the crop dries uniformly, it is known to provide a tedding attachment for each of the mower drums. The most typical such attachment is formed as several synthetic-resin rubber flaps attached to the drum and extending radially therefrom. These flaps engage and fan the crop back behind the mower.
Such an arrangement has several disadvantages. The flaps create a considerable air current which is capable of flattening the crop immediately ahead of the mower, making mowing extremely difficult. The wind resistance of these tedding flaps creates an additional load for the drive motor for such a mover, representing a considerable waste of energy since little useful work is done by these flaps. Finally the flaps, which must be flexible to prevent them from damaging the crop and for safety reasons, wear out rapidly and must, therefore, be replaced frequently.